Influence of climatic conditions on the energy and economic dynamic performance of a microtrigeneration system for residential applications

In this paper the feasibility of a micro-trigeneration system integrated with an Italian residential application is investigated by using the dynamic simulation software TRNSYS. This work analyzed a system based on a natural gas-fuelled internal combustion engine cogeneration unit for heating purposes and domestic hot water production. The cogeneration device fed an electric air-cooled water chiller for cooling purposes. The micro-trigeneration system was coupled with a multi-family house compliant with the transmittance values imposed by the Italian Law. The analyses were performed upon varying the climatic conditions by considering the building located into three different Italian cities (Palermo, Naples and Milan) representative of different climatic regions of Italy. The simulation results are evaluated from both energy and economic point of views. The data are also compared with the performance of a conventional system in order to assess the potential energy and economic savings.